Double packer for liners



March 18 1924.

T.H.GALLAGHER DOUBLE PACKER FOR LINERs Filed Feb. 18. 1922 sheets-sheet 1v INVENTQR i March 18 T. H. GALLAGHER DOUBLE PAQKER FOR LINERS 1922 2 sheets-'sheet z Filed Feb. 18.

A-rfronuev Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES l 1,481,091 PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. GALLAGHEB, OF GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T TWIN PACKER OIL AND G'AS COMPANY, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

DOUBLE PACKER FOR LINEBS.

Application led February 18, 1922, Serial Nb. 537,500.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. GAL- 'LAGHEm a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Grafton, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Double Packers for Liners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to packing means 'closure above and below a cave, so as'to prevent the material from'. falling into the lower portion jof the well and 4clogging the same. A'further object is to `provide simple and eliicient means for coupling'the various packers to the liner in such a manner as to permit lowering of the same into the well and insure that the packing members willbe properly spread when the liner is inposif tion so as to form a tight closure with the wall of the well. Another object is to ro` vide simple and eicient means for owering the liner and the packers into the well, which means can be readily detachedv from the liner and will eliminate possibility of any of the sections of the., liner or the packers becoming loosened. Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view throu h a liner and two of the packers and associated parts showing the means for lowering the liner and packers into the well;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken' above one of the couplings, looking down;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the outer coupling member and the end portion of the liner;

Figure 4 is an elevation ofthe inner coupling member;

Figure 5 is a section through one of the packers and associated parts' showing the packer in spread or operative condition;

Figure 6 is a section through the up er portion of the upper packer, the tubing eing shown in elevation;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view the li ner.

through a well showing the packers as applied.

The packers are adapted to be, used in connection with a liner of a known type which may be formed in a lurality of sections 1 which are connected y the packers 2. Each packer includes a tubular member 3 which is secured at its u per end in a collar Ai4 into the upper end o which is threaded the lower end of the superjacent section 1 of the liner. Member 3 is slidable into the upper end of the subjacent section 1 of the ber 3. Coupling member 5 fitsbeneath an threaded at 9 on the upper endof liner section 1. Member 5 is provided with a plurality of upwardl projecting lugs 5 which are adapted to t into corresponding recesses 7a formed by cutting' away ange 7. The coupling thus produced permits tubular memberl 3 to slide into the subjacent section 1 of the liner while etectually preventing complete withdrawal of this member from When the tubular member is/ in raised position lugs 5a engage into recesses iliner/ and is provided, at its lower end,4 with `a coupling member 5 threaded at 6 Aon memlinner annular liange 7 provided at the upper end of an outer coupling member'8 which is 7a of flange 7, these members co-operating to lock the liner and tubular member 3 against independent rotation. A packmg member 10 of'rubber or other suitable elastic material fits snugly about member 3 and is positioned between the lower end of collar 4 and the upper end of member 8. l

,. At the upper end of the packer at the top of the liner, collar 4 is replaced by a heavier collar 4a having its upper end ground to provide a downwardly ltapering seat 11. This collar is also bored and threaded to receive the threaded body 12a of a nipple .12 the neck 12b of which is threaded onto the lower end of a suitable length of tubing 13. The threaded connection between the body 12a of nipple 12 and collar 43` is lefthanded, all of the other threaded connections being righthanded. In practice, the sections of the liner and the various packers. are assembled in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 and are lowered into the well by means of tubing 13. The packers are placed so that, when the liner is in position, the packers will be ositioned above and below the various oil bearing sands or strata S, the liner between the packers and at the bottom of the wellbeing perforated to permit the oil to flow into the well from which it may be removed by any suitable pumping mechanism through tubing 13a supported in the liner, or in any other suitable or preferred manner. When the. liner and the packers associated therewith have been lowered into the well by means of tubing 133 the tubing is rotated so as to unscrew body 12 of nipple 12 from collar 4B. During this operation the tubular members 3 of the various packers are raised so that members or lugs 5 engage into recesses 7a thus locking the packers against rotation and permitting the nipple to be unscrewed from collar 4a. As the thread on body 12a of nipple 12 is lefthanded, and all the other threaded connections employedl are righthanded, this effectually eliminates any possibility of loosening of any of the connections. YVhen nipple 12 is disconnected from collar 4a the tubular members 3 of the packers 2 slide downwardly into the sections of the liner, this setting or expanding the packers, the elastic packing members 10 contacting with. the upper ends of outer coupling members 8 also serve as cushiony members to absorb shocks due to dropping of the packers and associated parts. After tubing 13 has been withdrawn the tubing 13a is lowered into the well and through the liner and packers. A frustoconical plug 14 is secured about the tubing 13a beneath a collar 15a and is secured to 'a plate 15 by means of screws 16 and nuts 17 between which plate and the plug is confined a rubber packing ring 18 which lits tightly about tubing 13a so as to eliminate any possibility of leakage between the tubing and the plug. A packing gasket 19 in the formv of a thick band of rubber or other suitable material is set into a channel extending about the lower portion of plug 14 and, when the plug is in position, is. forced tightly against seat 11 and held securely in position y the weight of the tubing and associated parts which are supported upon plate 15 by means of collar 15a. As boltsv16 are slidable through plate 15 the weight of the tubing and associated parts also acts to spread packing ring 18 radially so as to insure a fluid tight closure about tubing 13a. The weight of the tubing and associated'parts exerts down'- ward pressure upon the packing members 1() of the respective packersand serves to cause radial expansion of members 10 thus forcing` the same into tight contact with the surrounding wall of well W (Figs. 5 and 7). This also serves` to force the packing members into tight contact with the respective tubular members 3 and to hold the packing members tightly against the upper ends of the coupling members 8. In this manner the lwell is eiectually packed or closed above and below the various oil bearing strata or sands, and may also be packed 1n a similar manplug is then set or driven into ner above and below a cave C.. This effectually eliminates all possibility of clogging or choking of the well due to materials from the softer strata falling into the well such as'frequently occurs in wells employing the present type of liner not provided with packers such as that illustrated and described herein.

iVith the oil and gas bearing sands protected as above described the oil or gas may be obtained without hindrance. from all of the producing sands in a well during the life of the sands. ln some cases one packer placed on the upper end of the liner above. the oil or gas bearing sand or sands would be sufficient to protect the sand below against water or scaling from the strata above. ln other cases pac-kers placed in the liner above and below a cave would be sufficient to pro tect the oil or gas sands below, but where the strata between the sands'was of such nature as to cause the wall of the well to scale it would be necessary to place a acker both above and below the upper san s. Finally when the production has been reduced t-o a point where oil or gas can no longer be obtained in-pa-ying quantities, the tubing together with the packing members on the upper end of the upper packer can readily be withdrawn, leaving the liner in the bottom of the well with the packers in position above or below the `sands and with the upper end of the liner openy to receive cement or other materials from above in the process of plugging the well. Then the liner has been suitably filled a wooden or other suitable the upper end ofthe liner and after the well is cemented a suitable dista-nce above the plug it will be tightly sealed so that it will be impossible for water to seep downward or for gas to escape upward from any of the sands below. lt is important to consider this feature in connection with my invention as in many cases the cost of plugging. a well by the present methods from the bottom of the well up to the point described above greatly exceeds by far the actual cost of the liner and the packers left in the well for plugging purposes.

What I claim is l 1. In packing means, a plurality of liner sections, packers connecting said sections and having threaded connection with the lower ends of the respective sections, collars -nections between the packers and the lower ends of the liner sections and between the ill@ BCC)

collars and the upper ends of the liner sections and the tubular members' being similarly threaded, the uppermost packer vbeing adapted at its upper end for reception of a member threaded oppositely to said connections forlowering the liner and assooiated parts into a well and disconnecting said oppositely threaded member without loosening any of the threaded connect-ions of the liner and packers.

2. In packing means, a plurality of liner sections, packers connecting lsaid sections and-having threaded connection therewith, the connections between the packers and the liner sections being similarly threaded, and a packer connected'to the uppei` end of the top liner section and adapted for reception of a member threaded oppositely to said connections, the packers and the liner sectlons being provided with cooperating means for locking the same against independent t rotation. v

3. In packing means, a tubular member having a tapered seat, a frusto-conical plug provided with a packing member fitting into said seat, a plate above the plug, tubing extending through the plate and plug and. supported by said plate, and ain elast-ic packing collar surrounding the tubing and positioned between the plate and plug, the weight of the tubing acting-to expand the collar and produce a Huid tight closure bei tween the collar and the plate and plug and the collar and the tubing.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

THOMAS H. GALLAGIER. 

